| Ben Shelton Quick Info | |
|---|---|
| Height | 6Â ft 4Â in |
| Weight | 88 kg |
| Date of Birth | October 9, 2002 |
| Zodiac Sign | Libra |
| Eye Color | Dark Brown |
Ben Shelton is an American professional tennis player who won the 2016 USTA junior national championship in doubles as well as played college tennis for the Florida Gators. He achieved a career-high ATP singles ranking of No. 35 on May 8, 2023, and a career-high ATP doubles ranking of No. 159 on April 3, 2023.
Born Name
Ben Shelton
Nick Name
Ben
Sun Sign
Libra
Born Place
Atlanta, Fulton County, Georgia, United States
Residence
Gainesville, Alachua County, Florida, United States
Nationality
Education
Ben Shelton studied at Buchholz High School, a high school in Gainesville, Florida, United States.
He then enrolled at the University of Florida (Florida or UF). There, he majored in finance and also played for the Florida Gators, helping the team reach its first national championship. He later decided to complete his college education via online mediums.
Occupation
Professional Tennis Player
Family
- Father – Bryan Shelton (Former Professional Tennis Player, Florida Gators Men’s Tennis Coach)
- Mother – Lisa Witsken Shelton (A highly-ranked junior tennis player)
- Siblings – Emma Shelton (Sister) (Played college tennis at Florida)
- Others – Henry Witsken (Maternal Grandfather), Marilyn Witsken (Maternal Grandmother), Todd Witsken (November 4, 1963 – May 25, 1998) (Maternal Uncle) (Tennis player who was a three-time all-American at the University of Southern California)
Manager
Ben Shelton has been represented by agent Alessandro Sant Albano (a part of Roger Federer‘s TEAM8 management firm).
Turned Pro
2022
Plays
Left-handed (two-handed backhand)
Build
Athletic
Height
6 ft 4 in or 193 cm
Weight
88 kg or 194 lbs
Girlfriend / Spouse
Ben has dated –
- Anna Hall – Ben made his relationship with athlete Anna Hall public in November 2021.
Race / Ethnicity
Mixed
Hair Color
Dark Brown
Eye Color
Dark Brown
Sexual Orientation
Straight
Distinctive Features
Curly hair
Brand Endorsements
He has done endorsement work for brands such as On and Yonex.
Ben Shelton Favorite Things
- One Of His Favorite Things To Do – Going to the net. He once said, “I love to get to net, be able to use some of my hand skills, athletic skills and going up to get the ball (to put away overheads) is one of my favorite things to do…”
Source – Wikipedia
Ben Shelton Facts
- Growing up, he was not interested in tennis and played American football. Despite both his parents’ connections with tennis, they did not force their child into the sport.
- When he was 12 years old, Ben Shelton started playing tennis regularly and was coached by his father. Later, he considered playing ITF Junior tournaments abroad when he turned 16. However, his father asked him not to do so saying: “Why do you need to travel abroad when you’re not the best [player in the U.S.]?”
- It was his father’s advice that helped him make improvements in tennis because he was not constantly traveling and instead had a routine.
- He went on to peak as the No. 3 player in the USTA Boy’s 18s division and No. 306 ITF Junior.
- He won the 2019 USTA Boys 16s Doubles Clay Court tournament and concluded his journey as a finalist at the 2020 USTA Boys 18s Singles Winter Nationals.
- Ben Shelton was named the 2022 ITA National Player of the Year and the 2022 SEC Player of the Year.
- In July 2022, he reached his first Challenger final at Georgia’s Rome Challenger, losing to Wu Yibing.
- At the Indy Challenger in 2022, he reached the semifinals. He had won over world No. 103 Tim van Rijthoven.
- At the 2022 Atlanta Open, he made his ATP Tour debut as a wildcard and defeated Ramkumar Ramanathan in the first round for his first ATP win.
- It was announced on August 23, 2022, that Ben Shelton had decided to refrain from returning to college and would turn professional.
- On August 14, 2022, he made his Grand Slam debut at the US Open as a wildcard and lost to Nuno Borges in the first round, in five sets. He also recorded the second-fastest serve of the US Open tournament at 139 mph in this match.
- At the 2022 Tiburon Challenger, he reached his third Challenger final of the year after defeating top seed Denis Kudla.
Featured Image by si.robi / Flickr / CC BY-SA 2.0
